Why Do We Care?

Well, it seems that John Marsden's modernized version of Hamlet isn't really all that different from Shakespeare's original version of Othello. Many of the characters were similar personality-wise, and it shows that even now Shakespeare's original characters resonate with modern readers. Polonius and Iago? Pretty much the same character. Both of them are scheming advisers to a powerful man. Othello and Hamlet? All-around good people with good battle skills, but also a short temper? Sounds similar to me. These characters all have similar actions and reactions to things, with a sense of surprise towards death (I've been reading ahead in Othello). These actions and traits still work when placed onto 21'st century characters, and that's why the Shakespeare's characters still work.

Why These Words?

Many of the words that I picked are now considered archaic, and I guess that's why I didn't know them. For instance, who uses the word Mortise? It basically means a slot that something else can be fit into. So why not just say that? Some of the other words had apostrophes in them, which made them very difficult to look up. "Ensteep’d" and "se'nnight" are contractions for "ensteeped" and "seven nights," and Shakespeare most likely did this for his iambic pentameter writing style. In this particular part of the reading, many words had to do with ships and water. Tempest, ensteep’d, and keel to name a few.

Polonius, the Mr. Binns of Denmark

Polonius is a character in Hamlet. He is the chief adviser of the king in the court of Denmark. And he is not a very exciting person to be around. His voice sounds dull and dry, he's old, and worst of all, he's a know-it-all. He is also the father of the beautiful Ophelia, which is fairly ironic as he is not supposed to be one of the more attractive characters in the book. Because he sides with Claudius, I believe that he will be killed off later in the book because, you know, Hamlet. Plus, I think that he may have been one of the characters that Shakespeare himself played because, well, look at them side by side:

                                                                                           Kind of creepy now isn't it